The international consortium of institutions that are focused on education includes bodies such as universities, colleges, and museums, as well as others. The Center of Excellence Award is designed to recognize excellence in the use of technology to further learning or to aid in creative expression.

The MacArthur Awards form the basis for the award determination, and nominations can be made from both NMC members and non-members. Colleges themselves do not apply for the award.

Ball State University’s recognition comes for the role the school’s Center for Media Design and Emerging Media Initiative played in helping to integrate digital media into daily life. CMD is a facility devoted to research and development with regard to trends in emerging media. The EMI is part of a $17.7 million investment in institutional and private sector resources geared toward attracting and retaining faculty specializing in emerging media.

St. Edward’s University took home its award in recognition of the school’s incorporation of its emerging technology strategy into its program for faculty development and course design. As an example, the NMC cited the school’s course on Global Social Programs, which was launched as a pilot offering in the fall of 2011. The course called for students to research and then attempt to address contemporary world issues.

“The 2012 recipients are all acknowledged leaders in the application of technology by any standard,” said NMC CEO Larry Johnson. “The institutions recognized with the NMC Center of Excellence Award are a group that includes schools large and small, the well-endowed and the not-so-well-endowed; they represent the best of the NMC. Together and individually they exemplify the state of the art. Today’s recipients are worthy additions to that list.”

“When we heard the Center for Media Design at Ball State University was a recipient of the New Media Consortium's Center of Excellence award, we were particularly pleased because of NMC's reach and impact on higher education digital media programs across the country and around the world,” said David Ferguson, associate vice president for emerging media and executive director of the Center for Media Design at Ball State University. “Ball State University has made a campus wide effort to engage emerging media and we have been inspired by the richness of emerging media-related work being done on our campus by faculty, students and staff across almost every discipline and department.”

“Faculty and staff at St. Edward's University work collaboratively to design projects to support a range of innovative technology-supported curricular and experiential learning opportunities,” said Jason Rosenblum, special projects professional, emerging technologies research and development at St. Edward’s University. “These collaborative efforts take place in a scholarly ecosystem that involves key offices, including our Center for Teaching Excellence, and on-campus groups such as our Teaching and Learning with Technology Roundtable. St. Edward's University is both honored and excited to be recognized as an NMC Center of Excellence.”